Five Books with Pranks

Posted on by October 22, 2009
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Looking for Alaska by John Green — Getting back at the school snobs, coming out of your shell, developing friendships, honoring the dead — who knew how useful (or meaningful) pranks could be?

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty — The pranks start out in fun, and then as a way to put a jerk in his place, but if Emily, Lydia, and Cassie aren’t careful, they’ll end up in more trouble (personal and public) than they expected.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart — Frankie knows she’s just as bold and clever as the school’s all-boys band of pranksters, and what better way to prove it than to wrap them up in her own string of pranks?

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker — What starts as a prank war between two “newly-weds” leads Fiona to discover surprising truths about herself, her friends, and her supposed enemies.

Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga — Kyra is determined to get back at Fanboy for abandoning her, and if she has her way, these pranks are only the beginning. That is, if she can get herself to completely believe he deserves it.

What are your favorite book-ish pranks?

Flashback: How It Started (first high school crush)

Posted on by September 17, 2009
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April* 1995 (Megan is 14)

It is really quite strange, the way things have happened. I never considered B as anything in particular. For some reason he was left out of my thoughts of “boyfriends?” and I never really noticed him until the LORD OF THE RINGS thing.

You see, I heard him talking to his friends about how he was reading THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Then I saw him telling my English teacher about it. This caught my interest.

Then it happened that we were in the same group for Science. I found out more about him, including that he is amazingly like me.

Now for the strange part. For one thing, I keep noticing similarities. For example, he comments on something to his friends seconds after I do to mine. We both got the exact same mark in debating–83.5%. I am bored after a test and start tapping my fingers on the desk. Minutes later, he does the same.

Another thing is that although I don’t think of him in a boyfriend kind of way–none of the nervous states or stuff like with D–I keep getting extremely jealous whenever I see him doing something I’m not included in. Even playing cards with his friends. As I have said before, I don’t understand it in the least.

—
*In the journal I kept for most of 1995, I didn’t date my entries, only noted when the month changed.

An Introduction to Flashbacks
The Flashback Cast
The Flashback Timeline

GIVE UP THE GHOST Online Launch Party

Posted on by September 16, 2009
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Hello, and welcome to the online launch party for GIVE UP THE GHOST!

There’s lots to do, so I hope you’ll stick around a while. 🙂 Everyone is welcome!

Come chat with me about whatever you like. (You’ll need to “register” first–just give it your e-mail address and it’ll send you a password. This is to avoid trolls. Then click the “Join Chat” button at the bottom right after you enter the chat.) I’ll be giving away a signed copy of GHOST at a random point during the night to one of the chat participants!

If chatting’s not your thing, talk to me by commenting here on this post. I’ll be checking blog comments throughout the chat and answering right away. If you’ve already read the book, feel free to ask questions — though please mark any spoiler material with SPOILER and a few spaces so those who haven’t can skip it. I’ll be giving away a signed copy of GHOST to one commenter at the end of the night, too!

Want a book signed? Stop by the signing table! (If you already own or plan to purchase a copy.)

And please take a moment to join me for a reading from the book:

(Click here to comment on the reading.)

Thanks for coming! I hope you have an awesome time.

Share the GHOST Love Giveaway!

Posted on by October 16, 2009
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Today is a very special day. The day that my first published book officially goes out to meet the world! I can’t count how many times I dreamed of this happening, and now that it’s real… Even for a writer, there are no words to express how amazing that feels! It’s like Christmas and my birthday and the first day of school all mixed together.

To celebrate, I’d like to announce the final GHOST release giveaway!

The idea is simple: You share your love for GHOST with other readers, and I will share more GHOST with you! I’ve got 20 copies to give away, and there’s no chance involved–be one of the first twenty to review and then ask, and you or whomever you pick shall receive. Open to everyone in the world, until October 31st!

How it works:

1. You read GHOST (ARC, library copy, or bought) and love it. (If you don’t love it and want to share that, that’s totally fine, too, it just doesn’t count for the purposes of this giveaway.)

2. You post a review on Amazon.com talking about why you loved it. (Reviews must be at least five sentences long and at least two of those sentences must mention your thoughts on the book, not just plot summary.)

3. You e-mail me and let me know about your review. I’ll ask you an easy question about the book to confirm you did read it.

4. I send a copy of GHOST to a friend or family member, school or library, or book-related charity that you think would enjoy it too! (Or, if you don’t own a finished copy yourself, or would like to give it to someone in person, I can send it to you.)

THIS PART OF THE GIVEAWAY NOW OVER. Already own a copy and want more book love for yourself? I’ve got a bunch of awesome ARCs to give away, too:


(FIRE, WITCH & WIZARD, and LIPS TOUCH are signed)

You could win five, three, or one of those ARCs, plus some GHOST swag. If there are enough entries, I’ll throw in a couple more copies of GHOST as well!

Just post a review of GHOST on Amazon and/or as many of the following sites as you like, and for each you post on, you’ll get an entry. You don’t need to be one of the first 20 people–this is open to anyone who posts one or more reviews of GHOST between now and October 15th. The three winners will be drawn on October 16th. Just comment and let me know which of these site(s) your review can be found on:

BarnesandNoble.com
Borders
Chapters.ca
Powells
GoodReads
Shelfari
LibraryThing

Happy reading!

Free Fiction: “Frozen”

Posted on by September 14, 2009
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In celebration of GHOST’s release date tomorrow, I’m sharing another of my early short stories!

“Frozen” was written in 2003 and appeared in Dark Cloud Press’ THOU SHALT NOT… anthology in 2006. It’s a near-future story of a family with a bizarre initiation ritual to test their children as they enter “adulthood.” It’s also technically the only YA short story I’ve published (the narrator is 13).

Read it here.

Hope you enjoy!

Making the rounds

Posted on by September 12, 2009
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GHOST and I have been making appearances all of the web the last couple weeks. Check it out:

-Over at Katie’s Bookshelf, I shared my five favorite books read for school — stop by and let me know your favorite school readings! You can also win a GHOST swag pack just by commenting.

–Harmony Book Reviews is hosting me as Author of the Month. Look for an interview coming later today and a guest post and giveaway on the Saturdays of the rest of the month!

-Prodhi of Myriad Words is celebrating my launch with Ghost Week. Trailer and review up — guest post and interview coming soon!

-Lots of interviews! Find out how I created the rules for my ghosts, my most heart-breaking rejections, why I wrote a ghost story in the first place, the best way to set the mood before reading the book, what I think ofmy main characters, why I always outline, and which character I’d most like to meet.

-Want a chance to win GHOST in October? Book Nerds is polling readers to find out which four books they’d most like to see up for giveaways, and GHOST is one of them.

More interviews, guest posts, and giveaways coming soon!

Five Books on Beauty

Posted on by September 11, 2009
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The Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes — Appearance doesn’t matter much when you’re the only human on your planet. And maybe new environments require different standards of beauty. But that doesn’t help you when colonists arrive with their own set of ideals.

Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson — Sara Louise feels her life is defined by the fact that she isn’t a beauty like her twin sister. Is it fair? No. But it’s going to take more than hand cream for her to find her own sort of beauty.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld — Tally can’t wait to become a beautiful “pretty.” That is, until she finds out that along with gaining good looks, she might be sacrificing far more than she imagined.

Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer — Dara used to be a pretty little girl, but because of her weight, none of her classmates would consider her beautiful now. What’s more important, though, is how Dara feels about it, and how much that can change in one summer.

Fire by Kristin Cashore — Fire is not what you’d expect from a monster. So beautiful one look at her can drive men to marriage proposals or violence, she’s used to hiding herself away for everyone’s safety. But what if her monstrous beauty could save her country?

Know any other great books that deal with beauty? Share them!

Flashback: Friend Issues

Posted on by September 10, 2009
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April 11, 1994 (Megan is 13)

W is mad at me again. I think it’s because I said that she always told me her work was horrible when it wasn’t. Of course, she could just be mad at me for siding with X.

Another thing about W that bugs me is she always expects me to help her with her stuff and when I or anyone else ask for her help, she doesn’t want to give it. Also, she says “That’s a stupid idea” when I’m giving an idea to someone else. I mean, it’s none of her business anyway.

She is always saying “I don’t care.” She seems to think I can read her mind or something. Today in Advisory I asked her if she wanted to practice the dance at lunch at my house and she said “I don’t care” so I assumed she didn’t care. I said X could eat at my house and W goes “I thought I was coming to your house.” I said that she said she didn’t care.

—

An Introduction to Flashbacks
The Flashback Cast
The Flashback Timeline

Two Launch Parties!

Posted on by September 12, 2009
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With GIVE UP THE GHOST’s release date fast approaching, it’s time to start talking celebration! Doesn’t matter where you are, I hope you’ll join me.

Those in Toronto, or planning to visit: Head on over to BakkaPhoenix on Saturday, September 26th at 3pm for a reading, Q&A, signing, and refreshments. I’d love to see you! If you’re planning on or considering coming, please visit my evite event page and let me know so I can somewhat accurately inform the store manager how many people to expect.

EDIT: The Evite page is requiring people to register, so you can also RSVP at the Facebook page for the event if that’s better for you.

For those too far away, or who can’t make it on the 26th: We can party just as hard online! Come by this blog on Wednesday, September 16th between 8pm and 10pm EST (may go longer, depending on who shows up!) and celebrate my day-after-release. 🙂 I’ll be hosting a chat *and* a blog discussion (multitasking!), and giving away a copy of GHOST in each! I’ll also be “signing” books for attendees and I’m hoping to be able to videotape a reading. Mark your calendars and come join the fun!

Hope to see all of you at one or the other!